| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Song of
Solomon Chapter Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO SONG OF SOLOMON 3
In
this chapter an account is given of an adventure of the church, in quest of her
beloved; of the time when, and places where, and the persons of whom she sought
him; and of her success upon the whole; with a charge she give to the daughters
of Jerusalem, Song of Solomon 3:1;
by whom she is commended, Song of Solomon 3:6;
and then Christ, her beloved, is described by her; by his bed, and the guard
about it, Song of Solomon 3:7;
by the chariot he rode in, Song of Solomon 3:9;
and by the crown he wore on his coronation day, Song of Solomon 3:11.
Song of Solomon
3:1 The Shulamite By
night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.
YLT 1On my couch by night, I
sought him whom my soul hath loved; I sought him, and I found him not!
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth,.... The day
being not yet broke, the night of Jewish darkness still on the church, and the
shadow of the ceremonial law as yet stretched upon her; and having some
knowledge of Christ by types and prophecies, desires more, and seeks it in the
use of means: though the words may be taken in a more large sense, and
represent the state and condition of the church and of all true believers in
any age, and at one time as well as another; who, when their beloved is absent,
it is "night" with them; as Christ's presence makes day, his absence
makes night; and it was now night with the Church, either of affliction, or of
darkness and desertion, and indeed of both. The word is plural, "by
nights"F9בלילות εν
νυξιν, Sept. "per noctes", V. L. Junius &
Tremeilius, Piscator; "in noctibus", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine
versions, Marckius, Michaelis. ; one night after another, successively, she
sought her beloved; which both expresses the continuance of her state, and her
diligence and constancy in seeking Christ. The place where she sought him was
"her bed"; not the same as in Song of Solomon 1:16;
which was both Christ's and hers, and where a different word is used; but this
was purely her own: either a bed of affliction, when good men usually seek the
Lord, Isaiah 26:16, Hosea 5:15; or
rather of carnal ease and security, in which she continued, and rose not up
from it to seek her beloved; which shows the cold, lukewarm, lazy frame she was
in, and formal manner in which she sought him, and so succeeded not: however,
he was stilt the person "whom her soul loved", cordially and
sincerely, though not so fervently as she had done; true love, though it may be
abated, cannot be lost;
I sought him, but I found him not; because she sought him
not aright; not timely, nor fervently and diligently, nor in a proper place;
not in her closet, by prayer, reading, and meditation, nor in public
ordinances, she afterwards did; but on her bed.
Song of Solomon
3:2 2 “I
will rise now,” I said, “And go about the city; In the streets and in
the squares I will seek the one I love.” I sought him, but I did not find him.
YLT 2-- Pray, let me rise, and
go round the city, In the streets and in the broad places, I seek him whom my
soul hath loved! -- I sought him, and I found him not.
I will rise now,.... Perceiving she had taken a wrong
method, and therefore unsuccessful, she fixes on another; and, in the strength
of divine grace, determines to pursue it, and "now", at once,
immediately, without any delay, "rise" from her bed of sloth and
ease, and forego her carnal pleasures, in pursuit of her beloved; which showed
the sincerity of her love to him;
and go about the city; not the city of Jerusalem,
though there may be an allusion to it; but the spiritual city, of which saints
are fellow citizens, where they dwell, and where the word is preached, and the
ordinances are administered: and "going about" it, as she proposed,
showed her diligence and industry in seeking him: and the night being an
unseasonable time to walk about a city, especially for women, this is a further
proof of her great love to Christ, in that she not only exposed herself to
reproach and scandal, but to harm and danger also; but being fired with love,
and fearless of dangerF11"Audacem faciebat amor". Ovid.
Metamorph. l. 4. Fab. 4. , and set on finding her beloved, she resolved to
proceed, whatever she suffered. Hence she sought him
in the streets, and in the broad ways; that is, of
the city, such as commonly are in cities; so Troy is describedF12Homer.
Iliad. 2. v. 29,66,141,329. & 14. v. 88. Odyss. 22. v. 230. as a city,
having broad ways in it; and also AthensF13Ib. Odyss. 7. v. 80. :
meaning the public ordinances of the Gospel, where he takes his walks, and
often shows himself; in seeking him here, she was right, though she did not
succeed;
I will seek him whom my soul loveth; her love was still the
same, not abated, more likely to be increased through disappointment; nor was
she discouraged, but was determined to go on seeking, till she found him;
I sought him, but I found him not; this was to chastise her
for her former negligence; to try her faith, love, and patience; and to show
that even the best means, though to be used, are not to be depended on; and
that Christ has his own time and way to make himself known to his people, which
depends on his sovereign will.
Song of Solomon
3:3 3 The
watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, “Have you seen the one
I love?”
YLT 3The watchmen have found me,
(Who are going round about the city), `Him whom my soul have loved saw ye?'
The watchmen that go about the city found me,.... By whom
are meant the ministers of the Gospel; who are called watchmen, as the prophets
were under the Old Testament, Isaiah 52:8; in
allusion to watchmen in cities; and are so called in regard to themselves, it
being their duty to watch over themselves; and to their doctrine, and all
opportunities to preach it, and the success of it: their business with respect
to others is to give the time of night; to point out the state and condition of
the church; to give notice of danger to sinners in the broad road to destruction;
and to saints, through the prevalence of error, heresy, and immorality; all
which require sobriety, vigilance, prudence, courage, and faithfulness; and
show the necessity and utility of the Gospel ministry, and the awfulness of it;
and the care Christ takes of his churches, in providing such officers in them.
These are said to "go about the city", denoting their industry and
diligence; and being in the way of their duty, they "found" the
church, fell upon her case in their ministry, and hit it exactly; which shows
the efficacy of the word under a divine direction; which finds out sinners, and
their sins; saints, and their particular cases, unknown to ministers; and the
church, having met with something suitable to her case under their ministry,
to whom I said, took an opportunity privately to discourse
with them, and put this question to them,
Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? meaning Christ; who was
still the object of her love, and uppermost in her thoughts; whom she thus
describes, without mentioning his name, as if he was the only "Him"
in the world worthy of any regard; which shows how much he was in her mind, how
much the desires and affections of her soul were towards him, and that these
ministers needed no other description of him. No answer is returned to her
question that is recorded; not because they were not able to give one, nor
because they did not; and if they did not, it might be owing to her haste, not
waiting for one; and if they did, she not being able to apply it to her case,
no notice is taken of it: however, though she did not find immediate relief by
them, yet she met with something from them that was of use to her afterwards,
as appears by what follows.
Song of Solomon
3:4 4 Scarcely
had I passed by them, When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let
him go, Until I had brought him to the house of my mother, And into the chamber
of her who conceived me.
YLT 4But a little I passed on
from them, Till I found him whom my soul hath loved! I seized him, and let him
not go, Till I brought him in unto the house of my mother -- And the chamber of
her that conceived me.
It was but a little
that I passed from them,.... Either a small moment of time, as the Targum and Aben Ezra;
or a little distance of place, that is, from the watchmen or ministers, from
whom she passed; not through disrespect to them, much less contempt of them;
nor because she received no benefit at all from them; but her going on shows
she did not rest in means, but looked beyond them, and went on further in the
exercise of her faith, and hope of finding her beloved: and meeting with him a
little after she had passed from the ministers suggests that Christ is not far
from his ministers and ordinances; for it follows,
but I found him whom my soul loveth; which she expresses with
the utmost exultation and pleasure, which meeting with him must give her, after
such long and fruitless searches, and so many disappointments; see John 1:41; and for
Christ to show himself, without which there is no finding him, is a proof of
the greatness of his love, and of the freeness and sovereignty of it; and that
means, though to be used, are not to be depended on; nor should we be discouraged
when they fail, since Christ can make himself known without them, as he did
here to the church; who says,
I held him, and would not let him go; which on the
part of the church is expressive of her faith in him, signified by laying hold
on him, his person, righteousness, grace, and strength, Proverbs 3:18; and
of her strong affection to him, grasping and embracing him in her arms of faith
and love; and of her fear and jealousy lest he should depart from her again;
and of her steady resolution to hold him, whatever was the consequence of it:
and, on his part, it intimates a seeming offer to be gone; and a gracious
allowance to lay hold on him; and his wonderful condescension to be held by
her; and the delight and pleasure he took in the exercise of her faith upon
him; for it was not against but with his will he was held by her; and this she
determined to do, and not let go her hold,
until, says she,
I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chambers of
her that conceived me; the allusion is to the tents and apartments women had in former
times, distinct from their husbands, Genesis 24:67; and
all this may be understood either of the visible church, and the ordinances of
it, the mother of all true believers, where they are born again, brought up and
nourished; and where Christ may be said to be brought, when his name is
professed, his Gospel is embraced, and his ordinances are submitted to; and
here the church is desirous of introducing Christ, that she with others might
magnify him, and praise him for all the instances of his grace and goodness,
and have communion with him: or else the heart, and the inmost recesses of it,
may be meant; where the incorruptible seed of divine grace is cast; where the
new creature; conceived, born, and brought up, until it becomes a perfect man;
and where Christ is desired to be, and to dwell by faith, and saints may have
uninterrupted communion with him: unless the heavenly mansions are intended,
the house of the Jerusalem above, the mother of us all; where saints long to be
with Christ, enjoy him, and never lose his presence more; till then the church
resolves to hold him fast in the arms of faith, hope, and love, and not let him
go.
Song of Solomon
3:5 5 I
charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the
field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.
YLT 5I have adjured you,
daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up
nor wake the love till she please!
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,.... Which are
either the words of Christ, adjuring the young converts not to disturb the
church; who had now Christ in her arms, taking repose with him, being wearied
with running about in search of him: or they are the words of the church; who
having experienced a long absence of Christ, and having been at much pains in
search of him, and now had found him, was very unwilling to part with him; and
fearing these young converts should by any unbecoming word or action provoke
him to depart, she gives them a solemn charge;
by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up,
nor awake my love, till he please; See Gill on Song of Solomon 2:7.
Song of Solomon
3:6 The Shulamite 6 Who is this coming
out of the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense, With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
YLT 6Who [is] this coming up
from the wilderness, Like palm-trees of smoke, Perfumed [with] myrrh and
frankincense, From every powder of the merchant?
Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness,.... This is
said by the daughters of Jerusalem, adjured in Song of Solomon 3:5;
who, upon the happy meeting of Christ and his church, saw a greater glory and
beauty in her than they had seen before; and therefore put this question, not
as ignorant of her, but as admiring at her. By the wilderness she is said to
"come out" of is meant either a state of nature, as Theodoret; in
which all the elect of God are before conversion, and out of which they are
brought by efficacious grace; called a wilderness, because of the barrenness
and unfruitfulness of persons in such a state; and because of the perplexed
ways and tracks in it, which bewilder a man that he knows not which to take;
and because of the want of spiritual provisions in it; and because of the
danger men are exposed unto through holes and pits, and beasts of prey: in such
a state God finds his people, convinces them of it, and brings them out of it;
which is an instance of surprising and distinguishing grace: or else the world
itself may be meant, the wilderness of the people, Ezekiel 20:35; so
called because of the roughness of the way, the many tribulations the saints
pass through in it; and because of the traps and snares that are in it, through
evil men, the lusts of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan; because of the
many evil beasts in it, ungodly men, false teachers, and Satan the roaring
lion; and because of the plentiful table God furnishes here for his people,
feeding them in the wilderness with Gospel doctrines and spiritual ordinances, Revelation 12:14;
and because of the many windings and turnings of Providence in it, through all
which they are led in a right way to the city of their habitation: now though
they are in the world, they are not of it; they are called out of it, and quit
as much as may be the company and conversation of the men of it; and through
the grace of God are more and more weaned from it, and long after another and
better world; all which may be intended by their coming out of this: or else
this may design a state of sorrow and distress when under desertion, and
without the presence of Christ; which had lately been the case of the church,
who had been in a bewildered condition, and not knowing where her beloved was,
ran about here and there in quest of him, like one in a wood, seeking him and
calling after him; but now having sight of him, and some communion with him, is
represented as coming out of that state. She is further described as being
like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense; her heart
being inflamed with love to Christ, her affections moved upwards, heavenwards,
and were set on things above; and which were sincere and upright, rose up in
the form of palm trees, as the wordF14כתימרות
"ut columnae ad formam palmae assurgntes", Buxtorf; "ut
palmae", Mercerus, Cocceius; "instar palmarum", Tigurine
version, Michaelis. signifies, a very upright tree; and these moved steadily
towards Christ, and could not be diverted from him by the winds of temptation,
affliction, and persecution; and though there might be some degree of dulness
and imperfection in them, hence called "pillars of smoke"; yet being
perfumed with the sweet smelling myrrh of Christ's sacrifice, and the incense
of his mediation, became acceptable to God. It is added,
with all powders of the merchant: odorous ones, such are
the graces of the Spirit, which Christ the merchantman is full of; and makes
his people, their affections and prayers, of a sweet smelling savour with. Ben
Melech interprets it of garments perfumed with spices; see Psalm 45:8; Some
render the words, "above" or "more excellent than all powders of
the merchant"F15so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.
, druggist or apothecaryF16רוכל μυρεψου, Sept.
"pigmentarii", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "pharmacopolae",
Tigurine version; "seplasiarii", Mercerus, Cocceius;
"aromatarii", Junius & Tremellius, Marckius. ; no such drug nor
spice to be found in their shops, that smell so sweet as Christ, his grace and
righteousness.
Song of Solomon
3:7 7 Behold,
it is Solomon’s couch, With sixty valiant men around it, Of the
valiant of Israel.
YLT 7Lo, his couch, that [is]
Solomon's, Sixty mighty ones [are] around it, Of the mighty of Israel,
Behold his bed which is Solomon's,.... Not
Solomon the son of David, and penman of this song, but a greater than he, the
antitype of him; so it is interpreted of the Messiah by many Jewish writersF17Targum,
Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, Ben Melech, and Abendana. : they were both sons of
David and sons of God, and kings and preachers in Jerusalem. Solomon was a type
of Christ in his wisdom and wealth, in the largeness and peaceableness of his
kingdom; in his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter, and in building the temple, a
figure of the church: and by his bed is meant the place where saints meet
together for religious worship, his church visible, which is his resting and
dwelling place; where souls are begotten and born again, and have fellowship
with Christ; and which he has a property in by gift and purchase: and a behold
is prefixed to it as a note of attention, directing the daughters of Jerusalem
to turn off the discourse from her, and from commendation of her, to consider
the greatness of Christ her beloved; who might conclude, that if his bed was so
stately as after described, bow great must he himself be; and as a note of
admiration, to show how much she was affected with the greatness of his grace
to her, and the privileges she enjoyed of having nearness to him, and
fellowship with him;
threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of
Israel; ministers of the Gospel, such as are Israelites indeed, faithful
and upright; and who are valiant, and heartily concerned for the good and
welfare of Christ's people, and are careful that nothing hurt them, nor disturb
their rest and repose. In the number of them, the allusion may be to the guard
about Solomon's bed; which might consist of so many, partly for the security of
his royal person, and partly for grandeur and majesty: and were just double the
number of his father's worthies, he excelling him in greatness and glory;
though it may be a certain number is put for an uncertain; and this is a
competent and sufficient one.
Song of Solomon
3:8 8 They
all hold swords, Being expert in war. Every man has his sword on
his thigh Because of fear in the night.
YLT 8All of them holding sword,
taught of battle, Each his sword by his thigh, for fear at night.
They all hold swords,.... Or a
"sword"F18 ρομφαιαν
Sept. "gladium", Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius. ; the
word is singular, which designs the word of God, called the sword of the
Spirit, and said to be sharper than a twoedged sword, Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12; which
everyone of the ministers of the Gospel hold in their hands; and which denotes
not only their apprehension, but their retention of it, and firm adherence to
it; it cleaves to them, and they to that; they and their sword cannot be
parted, as GussetiusF19Ebr. Comment. p. 23. observes the word
signifies; these ministers could not be prevailed upon to drop it, or part with
it, but retained it to the last; which shows them to be valiant men;
being expert in war; in military
straits, in the spiritual war against sin, Satan, and the world, in common with
other Christians; and in fighting the good fight of faith, against all opposers
of the doctrines of the Gospel; knowing how to use to the best advantage the
spiritual sword, the Scriptures of truth, to defend the Gospel, and refute
error;
every man hath his sword upon his thigh; as a
preparation for war, and an indication of readiness to engage in it, Psalm 45:3; for,
being on the thigh, it is near, easy to come at, at once upon occasion, and so
always in a posture of defence; all which expresses the familiar acquaintance
ministers have with the word of God, its nearness, so that they can easily come
at it, and furnish themselves with a sufficient proof of truth, and with proper
arguments for the refutation of error. And this is done
because of fear in the night: when there is most
danger; hence Cyrus considering that men are most easily taken when eating and
drinking, and in the bath, and in bed, and in sleep, looked out for the most
faithful men to be his bodyguardF20Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 6. c.
29. . By "night" or "nights"F21בלילות "in noctibus", Pagninus, Montanus,
Piscator, Marckius, Michaelis. may be meant the nights of desertion,
temptation, affliction, and persecution; when saints are in fear of their
spiritual enemies, and of being overcome and destroyed by them: now Christ has
provided a guard for his people, to prevent or remove these fears, and defend
them from such as would make inroads upon their faith and comfort; namely, his
ministers, that by their ministerings they may be a means of securing their
peace and comfort, and of freeing them from all terrible apprehensions of
things; which, as it shows the safety and security of the saints, so the tender
care and concern of Christ for them.
Song of Solomon
3:9 9 Of
the wood of Lebanon Solomon the King Made himself a palanquin:[a]
YLT 9A palanquin king Solomon
made for himself, Of the wood of Lebanon,
King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. The word
translated chariot is only used in this place; some render it a bride chamberF21אפריון "thalamum sponsarum", Montanus. ; others a
nuptial bedF23So Schmidt, Marckius, David de Pomis, Kimchi in Sopher
Shorash. rad. פרה & Ben Melech in loc. , such as
is carried from place to place; it is used in the MisnahF24Sotah, c.
9. s. 14. & Jarchi in ibid. for the nuptial, bed, or open chariot, in which
the bride was carried from her father's house to her husband's. The Septuagint
render it by φορειον,
a word near in sound to that in the Hebrew text, and was the
"lectica" of the ancients, somewhat like our "sedan"; some
of which were adorned with gold and precious stones, and had silver feetF25Vid.
Alstorph. de Lecticis Veter. c. 3. , or pillars, as follows: it seems upon the
whole to be the nuptial chariot in which, according to PausaniasF26Vid.
Suidam in voce ζευγος.
, three only were carried, the bride, who sat in the middle, then the
bridegroom, and then the friend of the bridegroom: something of this kind is
the "palki" or "palanquin" of the Indians, in which the
bride and bridegroom are carried on the day of marriage on four men's shouldersF1Agreement
of Customs between the East Indians and Jews, artic. 17. p. 68. : and by this
"chariot" may be meant either the human nature of Christ, in which he
descended and ascended to heaven; or his church, in which he shows himself to
his people in his ordinances, where he rides in triumph, conquering and to
conquer, by his Spirit and grace, in his word; or the covenant of grace, in
which Christ shows the freeness and sovereignty of his love in being the
Mediator, surety, and messenger of it; and in which his people are bore up and
supported under and carried through many trials and exercises in this life, and
are brought triumphantly to heaven; or rather the Gospel, and the ministration
of it, in which Christ shows himself as in a chariot, in the glory of his
person, offices, grace, and love; in this he is carried up and down in the
world, Acts 9:15; and by
it is conveyed to the souls of men; and in it he triumphs over his enemies, and
causes his ministers to triumph also: and he is the subject, sum, and substance
of it, and the alone author of it; for he is the Solomon here spoken of that
made it; it is not a device of men's, but a revelation of his, and therefore
called "the Gospel of Christ"; and which he gives to men to preach, a
commission to preach it, and qualifications for it: and this he does "for
himself", to set forth the glories of his person and office, to display
the riches of his grace, and to show himself to be the only way of salvation to
host sinners: and this chariot being said to be "of the wood of
Lebanon", cedar, which is both incorruptible and of a good smell; may
denote the uncorruptness of the Gospel, as dispensed by faithful ministers, and
the continuance and duration of it, notwithstanding the efforts of men and
devils to the contrary; and the acceptableness of it to the saints, to whom is
the savour of life unto life; and it being a nuptial chariot that seems
designed, it agrees with the Gospel, in the ministry of which souls are brought
to Christ, and espoused as a chaste virgin to him, 2 Corinthians 11:2.
Song of Solomon
3:10 10 He
made its pillars of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of
purple, Its interior paved with love By the daughters of Jerusalem.
YLT 10Its pillars he made of
silver, Its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, Its midst lined [with] love, By
the daughters of Jerusalem.
He made the pillars thereof of silver,.... The
truths and doctrines of the Gospel are the "pillars" of it; which,
like pillars, are solid and substantial, and continue firm and immovable, and
are of great use to support the children of God under the several trials and
exercises they are attended with; and, for their utility, value, and duration,
are said to be of "silver", and are as carefully to be sought for and
into as that is, and even to be preferred to it, being of more worth than
"thousands of gold and silver"; the ministers of the Gospel are
sometimes compared to pillars, and the church itself is said to be the pillar
and ground of truth, Galatians 2:9;
the bottom thereof of gold; Christ, the golden
bottom of the Gospel, the sum and substance of it, the principal subject in it
to be insisted on; he is laid in it as the bottom, ground, and foundation of
faith and hope, and of everlasting life and salvation; and for its richness,
firmness, and duration, may be said to be of gold, as the street of the New
Jerusalem, Revelation 21:21;
or its "pavement"F2רפידתו
"pavimentum ejus", Vatablus, Grotius. , as the word here signifies.
The Septuagint render it, a "reclining"F3 ανακλιτον, Sept.
"reclinatorium ejus", Arabic interpreter. place, to sit and rest, or
lean upon; such is Christ;
the covering of it of purple; or the top of it; the
word signifies a chariot itself: it may respect such doctrines of the Gospel
which relate to redemption, pardon of sin, and justification through the blood
of Christ; and all under the purple covering of the blood of Christ are secure
from wrath to come, and go safe to heaven;
the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters
of Jerusalem; the carpet wrought with lovely figures or with love stories: the
doctrines and ordinances of the Gospel are full of love, of God in Christ, in
providing Christ as a Saviour, and sending him to be one; and of the love of
Christ in assuming human nature, and suffering and dying in it for sinners,
even for Jerusalem sinners; the Gospel sets forth the heart of Christ as
"inflamed"F4רצוף "succcensum",
Montanus, Marckius; "accensum, sive exustum", some in Vatablus, so
Aben Ezra. , as the word here used signifies, with love to the daughters of
Jerusalem, his dear children, which moved him to do all he did and suffered for
them; and could his heart be looked into, the very images of these persons
would be seen upon it: the ordinances of the Gospel are designed both to set
forth, in the most striking manner, the love of Christ to his sons and
daughters, for whose sake he became man and suffered death, and to draw forth
their love to him; so the words may be rendered, "paved with love by the
daughters of Jerusalem"F5מבנות
"a filiabus", Montanus, Cocceius; so Sept. "a puellis",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , or "with the love of them"F6"Amore
foeminarum", Tigurine version; "amore filiarum", Vatablus,
Mercerus. how delightful must it be to ride in such a chariot, or sit under
such a ministry, where there is nothing but love! moreover, the whole
description of the "bride chamber", which some choose to render the
word for "chariot" by, well agrees with the New Jerusalem state, as
given in Revelation 21:1,
where the church being as a bride prepared for her husband, will be introduced,
the nuptial feast will be kept, and Christ will be seen by the daughters of
Zion in all his regal glory, with the royal diadem on his head, as he is
described in Song of Solomon 3:11.
Song of Solomon
3:11 11 Go
forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his
mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his
heart.
YLT 11Go forth, and look, ye
daughters of Zion, On king Solomon, with the crown, With which his mother
crowned him, In the day of his espousals, And in the day of the joy of his
heart!
Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,.... The same with the
daughters of Jerusalem; the reason of the variation is, because Christ, here so
gloriously described, is King of Zion, and they his subjects; these the church
observing, being intent on looking at the bed and chariot she had described,
calls them from those objects to look at a more glorious one; to whom Solomon
in all his glory, on his coronation or marriage day, to which the allusion is,
was not equal; wherefore she invites them to "go forth" and look at
him, as people are forward to go out of their houses to see a crowned king pass
along the streets, especially on his coronation day; and men never see any
glory and excellency in Christ, until they go out of themselves, and look off
of every other object to him alone;
and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother
crowned him in the day of his espousals; alluding to a custom
with the JewsF7Misnah Sotah, c. 9. s. 14. and other nationsF8Vid.
Paschalium de Coronis. l. 2. c. 16. p. 126. & Barthii Animadv. ad Claudian
de Raptu Proserp. l. 2. v. 148. "Magnisque coronis conjugium fit",
Claudian. Laus Serenae, v. 189, 190. στεφος
γαμηλιον, Bion. Idyl. 1.
prope finem. , to put nuptial crowns on the heads Of married persons, both men
and women, on the marriage day: Christ is undoubtedly here meant by Solomon,
who is King of Zion, King of saints; See Gill on Song of Solomon 3:7;
by whose mother is meant either the church, the Jerusalem above, the mother of
us all, of Christ mystical; or else every believer, who is not only his brother
and sister, but his mother, Matthew 12:50; and
this may refer to the time when Christ is first made known unto and held by a
sensible sinner, in the glory of his person, and the fulness of his grace, as
sitting and riding in the chariot of the everlasting Gospel; when such honour
him, and crown him by venturing on him, and believing in him; for every act of
faith on Christ is putting the crown upon his head; and every submission to his
ordinances is an acknowledging him King of saints; and every ascription of
salvation to him and his grace by any, is casting their crowns at his and
setting one on his head; and such a time is the time of his open espousals to
them, when such consent to be his for ever, and give up their whole selves to
him; there was a secret espousal of all the elect to Christ, upon the Father's
grant of them to him in eternity; and there is an open espousal of them to him
personally, at their conversion under the ministry of the word, when they are
espoused as chaste virgins to Christ; at which time there is a large breaking
forth of Christ's love to them, and of theirs to him: hence it is called
"the love of their espousals"; see 2 Corinthians 11:2;
and here
the day of the gladness of his heart; when Christ
gladly and cheerfully receives such souls into his embraces, and rejoices over them
as the bridegroom over the bride: now the church would have the daughters of
"Jerusalem behold", look at this glorious person with an eye of faith
and love, with attention and admiration; see Zechariah 9:9;
there being such astonishing, incomparable, and transcendent excellencies in
him, which require such looks as these;
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)